Recommended
Bird Food
To establish a successful
feeding station, you must offer a variety of seeds. The type of bird
you will see at your bird feeder will depend mostly upon the type of
food you offer. By offering the seed of choice, you can actually save
money since they will not waste as much. Keep experimenting with different
types of seeds to see who comes for dinner.
Black-oil
sunflower seed is the hands-down favorite of all the birds
that visit tube and house type feeders. They have a high ratio of meat
to shell, and are high in fat content. Birds will use their oil glands
to spread the oil over their feathers to keep them buoyant, dry and
warm, especially in the winter. Chickadees, titmice, cardinals, and
nuthatches are among the popular feeder birds that favor black-oil sunflower
seeds. Goldfinches prefer their sunflower seeds hulled.
White millet is a valuable source
of carbohydrate that attracts many ground-feeding species such as house
sparrows and brown-headed cowbirds. However, when there are small sparrow-like
birds around, such as juncos and song sparrows, millet is needed. In
addition, this seed is popular with cardinals, red-winged blackbirds,
curve-billed thrashers, finches and mourning doves.
Red
millet is high in nutrients and a valuable source of carbohydrate.
It is the tiny red seed in commercial mixes. It makes canaries sing
a lot. This seed is a favorite ground feeding birds, especially sparrows
and the larger members of the finch family. In addition to sparrows,
species attracted to red millet include juncos, cardinals, pyrrhuloxias,
towhees, buntings, thrashers, doves, quail, pheasant, bobwhite, and
jays, among others.
Red
milo is about twice the size of millet. In the East and
upper Midwest, birds don't seem to eat milo much at all, so any mixed
seed with a large percentage of milo will probably go mostly uneaten.
However, some ground-feeding, Southwest or West Coast region species,
including sparrows, towhees, thrashers, pigeons, doves, jays, thrashers
and quail, flock to red milo.
Cracked
corn is essential in your bird's diet because it contains
protein and fiber. It is also an extra source of heat for your birds
feeding in the colder climates. Mourning doves, pigeons, cardinals,
blackbirds, cowbirds are a few of the many birds who like cracked corn.
However, smaller birds are incapable of cracking whole kernels. Cracked
corn is best offered in ground feeders. This is an ecological bird snack
as well since it will deteriorate if exposed to wet weather.
Mixed
seed typically contains high quantities of millet, preferred
by ground-feeding birds. Many feeder birds will not take millet. Likewise,
ground-feeding birds that favor millet will not have access to it if
it's in a feeder. You may want to investigate to determine which species
your yard will attract. Or fill hanging feeders with sunflower seeds
and use a ground feeder with mixed seed for ground-feeding birds.
Niger, or thistle seed, will attract small finches such as goldfinches,
siskins, and redpolls. A good source of energy, this seed is imported,
so it may be costly. We have special feeders specifically designed for
thistle seed.
Safflower is fairly new on the bird feeding scene. Similar in nutritional
value to sunflower seed, safflower seed is white and oval in shape.
Cardinals, purple finches, grosbeaks, chickadees, and titmice are attracted
to this seed. Platform feeders are recommended for distribution of safflower
seed. Although this seed is typically more expensive than sunflower,
some reports claim that squirrels dislike it.
Mealworms are the larvae of the flightless darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor).They
are not slimy, although at room temperature they wiggle a lot. (Some
people don't like to handle them, and use a scoop or tea strainer to
collect them to put out in the feeder.) Mealworms are high in protein. Bluebirds are more attracted to stationary
mealworm feeders, opposed to hanging mealworm feeders.
Suet is a processed blend of hard animal fat and wild birdseeds. Beef fat
alone can be used or mixed with other fats or peanut butter. Suet is
a high-energy food source for birds. Woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice,
and nuthatches all enjoy suet. You can hang this in a mesh bag, but
it won't be as protected from raccoons that might help themselves. You
may wish to consider purchasing a sturdy suet feeder. Click
here for suet recipes!
Fruits such as Raisins, bananas, currants, and sliced apples may attract
mockingbirds, robins, bluebirds, and waxwings. Oranges are a favorite
with orioles.
Birds eat grit along
with their food to help them digest it. During the winter, you can scatter
sand near the feeder to help the birds, since natural grit may be frozen
or hard to find.
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